As we get to the closing stages of pre-season there is at last a feeling of all will soon be revealed, but when it comes to defining the quality of our squad come kick-off at Brentford, the feeling of uncertainty is still widespread. Perhaps to some people it's clearer, and probably so it should be because the range of signings to-date has been decent. The signs though remain confusing when it comes to the finishing touches that will define the squad as good, bad or average. Crunch-time is almost upon us, and all we can be confident about is that we are on the threshold of, er, something.

There are some clues here and there that suggest the quality of the icing-on-the-cake signings might surprise. Subtle little clues tucked away like tiddlers in the rocks. An isolated tweet and forum post here and there have also caught the eye, by one or two that have known things in the past.

Then we have the 'clues' that fuel doubt, such as the latest rumours about recent triallists who have been at the club for some time and doing well but are thought to have scarpered only minutes after being praised by Skivo. The club hasn't confirmed one way or the other if Kerrea Gilbert, Jim Paterson and Steve MacLean are still at Hush Park or if they have have followed Alan O'Brien out of the building, but in any case it does appear that the process of assessing them has been slower than might have been expected. Out of a batch of capable experienced players who have been trialling for a fair while and making good impact, to-date only Dominic Blizzard has been signed. Maybe they were asking for shed-loads of money, but it seems odd to persevere with them for too long without signing them and without getting an earlier indication of what sort of deals they were looking for. The impression to us very patient onlookers is that this might be an extension of not being able keep hold of the proven League One players we already had.

Yet, Skivo still talks about the probability of actually buying a player or two and continuing the momentum from the strong finish last season. Thursday's return to the club of Max Ehmer is certainly endorsement of that hope for a strong quad - what follows in coming days will decide it. If we have brilliant options lined up in place of triallists who showed up well, than it makes one wonder why they were invited in the first place. Possibly Skivo was testing the market for contracted options against loan options he can call on if that route doesn't work out - the most likely answer for an optimist. Or maybe the club can't compete adequately on League One wages - the not-so-green-tinted view.

Take your pick which one you go for, but it certainly isn't too apparent which one is correct. On the face of it the player budget will be difficult this year after another expected drop in Season Ticket sales, though we are still riding on the great confusion started by Skivo in the Spring - words about more contracted players, about paying fees, about trying for the likes of Shaun MacDonald on contract. Happy words, but confusing.

So which way we go is still as wide as Adam Virgo's (who he?) shorts, but the final countdown to our destiny is at last here. We for sure won't be told how much dosh the club got from Craig Alcock's move to Peterborough and Lee Peltier's sell-on, and in any case there is the not-insignificant requirement of balancing the books.

Maybe, just maybe, Skivo has had a shot in the arm from some helpful source. Whatever way we go, with tomorrow's match against Bristol City being the first of a run-in of three friendlies against Championship opposition, the final countdown is now under way. If indeed there had been some prescribed help to the budget, we would probably never be aware of what form the good doctor might take. All conjecture, of course. It has been a confusing time though, not just between seasons but ever since Skivo's optimistic words from months back.

All the while have been the good patient - very patient - waiting to see what unfolds and very soon the fog will clear between whether we can hardly afford to compete at League One or whether we have an ace up the sleeve.

Skivo continues to assert we will have a strong squad to carry on from where we left off in May and therefore I am sticking with that and continuing to hope for the same. A little bit of a concern is that his last-minute agenda to sort out the final signings seems to have shifted, from around the time of the last three friendlies to now being the opening day of the season. Despite that, and the players we've lost, and the slow-going with the triallists, I'll share his hope that the wait will have been worth it. Very soon now, we'll know.

Just like to add that it's been marvellous to see the reviews of the friendly matches and triallist appraisals that have cropped up here on Taff's Gloversblog and across the various YTFC sites and blogs. They all have been good reads and especially welcome information for those who couldn't get to the games. Nice also to see the growing enthusiasm from younger writers taking up the quill.

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